MassBike Comments On GreenDOT Implementation Plan

In 2010, MassDOT launched its GreenDOT initiative, a comprehensive program to combat climate change, encourage biking, walking and transit, and support smart growth. This year, MassDOT released a draft GreenDOT Implementation Plan, and invited public comment.

The plan focuses on what MassDOT can do to reduce greenhouse gases from its own operations and to make itself more sustainable. The plan also includes more general goals around improving conditions for and creating opportunities for bicycling, walking, and public transportation. MassBike is very pleased that MassDOT is moving forward with GreenDOT, and we offered comments to Secretary of Transportation Richard Davey to make the plan even better (click here for a full copy of our comment letter).

The over-arching theme of MassBike's comments was "change can happen faster". We recommended accelerating the proposed update to the MassDOT road design guidelines to reflect current standards, so that better projects for biking and walking would start happening sooner. We pushed for actually reducing vehicle speeds on busy roads, rather than merely studying how to do it. We asked for additional measures of dedicated bicycling facilities, bike parking, access to transit, and the number of school children who actually receive biking and walking safety training and then ride or walk to school.

We await MassDOT's response to our comments and those of other advocates and members of the public. And we will continue working with MassDOT to ensure that bicycling conditions in Massachusetts keep improving (and improve even more rapidly).